Friendship Cemetery, Cemetery from 1849 in Columbus, United States.

Friendship Cemetery is a burial ground in Columbus, Mississippi, covering 70 acres (28 hectares) with about 22,000 graves. Its original 1849 layout by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows consisted of three interlocking circles, reflecting the Odd Fellows emblem.

Founded in 1849, the cemetery expanded during the Civil War when Columbus served as a hospital center, resulting in the burial of roughly 2,000 Confederate and up to 150 Union soldiers there. The conflict left a lasting mark on who rests at the grounds.

Each April, students from the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science research a person buried here, then dress as them and perform at night in the cemetery. The graves include Confederate generals, three Confederate congressmen, two Mississippi governors, a Shanghai Municipal Council chairman and Disney animator Joshua Meador.

The grounds are located at 1300 4th Street South and are accessible for walking, with paths that make exploring straightforward. Detailed records about specific graves are available through the Library of Congress, which helps when looking for particular burial sites.

In 1866, local women placed flowers on graves of both sides of the conflict, starting a tradition that influenced the creation of Memorial Day. This simple gesture of unity became one of the roots of a national holiday now observed across America.